The Holy Bible

[27:32] Jonathan, King David's uncle, was a skillful adviser and a scholar. He and Jehiel son of Hachmoni were in charge of the education of the king's sons.

[27:33] Ahithophel was adviser to the king, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend and counselor.

[27:34] After Ahithophel died, Abiathar and Jehoiada son of Benaiah became advisers. Joab was commander of the royal army.

[28:1] King David commanded all the officials of Israel to assemble in Jerusalem. So all the officials of the tribes, the officials who administered the work of the kingdom, the leaders of the clans, the supervisors of the property and livestock that belonged to the king and his sons—indeed all the palace officials, leading soldiers, and important men—gathered in Jerusalem.

[28:2] David stood before them and addressed them: “My friends, listen to me. I wanted to build a permanent home for the Covenant Box, the footstool of the Lord our God. I have made preparations for building a temple to honor him,

[28:3] but he has forbidden me to do it, because I am a soldier and have shed too much blood.

[28:4] The Lord, the God of Israel, chose me and my descendants to rule Israel forever. He chose the tribe of Judah to provide leadership, and out of Judah he chose my father's family. From all that family it was his pleasure to take me and make me king over all Israel.

[28:5] He gave me many sons, and out of them all he chose Solomon to rule over Israel, the Lord's kingdom.

[28:6] “The Lord said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who will build my Temple. I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

[28:7] I will make his kingdom last forever if he continues to obey carefully all my laws and commands as he does now.’

[28:8] “So now, my people, in the presence of our God and of this assembly of all Israel, the Lord's people, I charge you to obey carefully everything that the Lord our God has commanded us, so that you may continue to possess this good land and so that you may hand it on to succeeding generations forever.”

[28:9] And to Solomon he said, “My son, I charge you to acknowledge your father's God and to serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind. He knows all our thoughts and desires. If you go to him, he will accept you; but if you turn away from him, he will abandon you forever.

[28:10] You must realize that the Lord has chosen you to build his holy Temple. Now do it—and do it with determination.”

[28:11] David gave Solomon the plans for all the Temple buildings, for the storerooms and all the other rooms, and for the Most Holy Place, where sins are forgiven.

[28:12] He also gave him the plans for all he had in mind for the courtyards and the rooms around them, and for the storerooms for the Temple equipment and the gifts dedicated to the Lord.

[28:13] David also gave him the plans for organizing the priests and Levites to perform their duties, to do the work of the Temple, and to take care of all the Temple utensils.

[28:14] He gave instructions as to how much silver and gold was to be used for making the utensils,

[28:15] for each lamp and lampstand,

[28:16] for the silver tables, and for each gold table on which were placed the loaves of bread offered to God.

[28:17] He also gave instructions as to how much pure gold was to be used in making forks, bowls, and jars, how much silver and gold in making dishes,

[28:18] and how much pure gold in making the altar on which incense was burned and in making the chariot for the winged creatures that spread their wings over the Lord's Covenant Box.

[28:19] King David said, “All this is contained in the plan written according to the instructions which the Lord himself gave me to carry out.”

[28:20] King David said to his son Solomon, “Be confident and determined. Start the work and don't let anything stop you. The Lord God, whom I serve, will be with you. He will not abandon you, but he will stay with you until you finish the work to be done on his Temple.

[28:21] The priests and the Levites have been assigned duties to perform in the Temple. Workers with every kind of skill are eager to help you, and all the people and their leaders are at your command.”

[29:1] King David announced to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon is the one whom God has chosen, but he is still young and lacks experience. The work to be done is tremendous, because this is not a palace for people but a temple for the Lord God.

[29:2] I have made every effort to prepare materials for the Temple—gold, silver, bronze, iron, timber, precious stones and gems, stones for mosaics, and quantities of marble.

[29:3] Over and above all this that I have provided, I have given silver and gold from my personal property because of my love for God's Temple.

[29:4] I have given 115 tons of the finest gold and 265 tons of pure silver for decorating the walls of the Temple

[29:5] and for all the objects which the skilled workers are to make. Now who else is willing to give a generous offering to the Lord?”

[29:6] Then the heads of the clans, the officials of the tribes, the commanders of the army, and the administrators of the royal property volunteered to give

[29:7] the following for the work on the Temple: 190 tons of gold, 380 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron.

[29:8] Those who had precious stones gave them to the Temple treasury, which was administered by Jehiel of the Levite clan of Gershon.

[29:9] The people had given willingly to the Lord, and they were happy that so much had been given. King David also was extremely happy.

[29:10] There in front of the whole assembly King David praised the Lord. He said, “Lord God of our ancestor Jacob, may you be praised forever and ever!

[29:11] You are great and powerful, glorious, splendid, and majestic. Everything in heaven and earth is yours, and you are king, supreme ruler over all.

[29:12] All riches and wealth come from you; you rule everything by your strength and power; and you are able to make anyone great and strong.

[29:13] Now, our God, we give you thanks, and we praise your glorious name.

[29:14] “Yet my people and I cannot really give you anything, because everything is a gift from you, and we have only given back what is yours already.

[29:15] You know, O Lord, that we pass through life like exiles and strangers, as our ancestors did. Our days are like a passing shadow, and we cannot escape death.

[29:16] O Lord, our God, we have brought together all this wealth to build a temple to honor your holy name, but it all came from you and all belongs to you.

[29:17] I know that you test everyone's heart and are pleased with people of integrity. In honesty and sincerity I have willingly given all this to you, and I have seen how your people who are gathered here have been happy to bring offerings to you.

[29:18] Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, keep such devotion forever strong in your people's hearts and keep them always faithful to you.

[29:19] Give my son Solomon a wholehearted desire to obey everything that you command and to build the Temple for which I have made these preparations.”

[29:20] Then David commanded the people, “Praise the Lord your God!” And the whole assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and gave honor to the Lord and also to the king.

[29:21] The following day they killed animals as sacrifices, dedicating them to the Lord, and then gave them to the people to eat. In addition, they sacrificed a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, which they burned whole on the altar. They also brought the offerings of wine.

[29:22] So that day they were very happy as they ate and drank in the presence of the Lord. For a second time they proclaimed Solomon king. In the name of the Lord they anointed him as their ruler and Zadok as priest.

[29:23] So Solomon succeeded his father David on the throne which the Lord had established. He was a successful king, and the whole nation of Israel obeyed him.

[29:24] All the officials and soldiers, and even all of David's other sons, promised to be loyal to Solomon as king.

[29:25] The Lord made the whole nation stand in awe of Solomon, and he made him more glorious than any other king that had ruled Israel.

[29:26] David son of Jesse ruled over all Israel

[29:27] for forty years. He ruled in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.

[29:28] He died at a ripe old age, wealthy and respected, and his son Solomon succeeded him as king.

[29:29] The history of King David from beginning to end is recorded in the records of the three prophets, Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.

[29:30] The records tell how he ruled, how powerful he was, and all the things that happened to him, to Israel, and to the surrounding kingdoms.

[1:1] Solomon, the son of King David, took firm control of the kingdom of Israel, and the Lord his God blessed him and made him very powerful.

[1:2] King Solomon gave an order to all the officers in charge of units of a thousand men and of a hundred men, all the government officials, all the heads of families, and all the rest of the people,

[1:3] commanding them to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon. They went there because that was where the Tent of the Lord's presence was located, which Moses, the Lord's servant, had made in the wilderness. (

[1:4] The Covenant Box, however, was in Jerusalem, kept in a tent which King David had set up when he brought the Box from Kiriath Jearim.)

[1:5] The bronze altar which had been made by Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, was also in Gibeon in front of the Tent of the Lord's presence. King Solomon and all the people worshiped the Lord there.

[1:6] In front of the Tent the king worshiped the Lord by offering sacrifices on the bronze altar; he had a thousand animals killed and burned whole on it.

[1:7] That night God appeared to Solomon and asked, “What would you like me to give you?”

[1:8] Solomon answered, “You always showed great love for my father David, and now you have let me succeed him as king.

[1:9] O Lord God, fulfill the promise you made to my father. You have made me king over a people who are so many that they cannot be counted,

[1:10] so give me the wisdom and knowledge I need to rule over them. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?”

[1:11] God replied to Solomon, “You have made the right choice. Instead of asking for wealth or treasure or fame or the death of your enemies or even for long life for yourself, you have asked for wisdom and knowledge so that you can rule my people, over whom I have made you king.

[1:12] I will give you wisdom and knowledge. And in addition, I will give you more wealth, treasure, and fame than any king has ever had before or will ever have again.”

[1:13] So Solomon left the place of worship at Gibeon, where the Tent of the Lord's presence was, and returned to Jerusalem. There he ruled over Israel.

[1:14] He built up a force of fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem, and the rest he stationed in various other cities.

[1:15] During his reign silver and gold became as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah.

[1:16] The king's agents controlled the export of horses from Musri and Cilicia,

[1:17] and the export of chariots from Egypt. They supplied the Hittite and Syrian kings with horses and chariots, selling chariots for 600 pieces of silver each and horses for 150 each.

[2:1] King Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself.

[2:2] He put 70,000 men to work transporting materials, and 80,000 to work cutting stone in the hill country. There were 3,600 others responsible for supervising the work.

[2:3] Solomon sent a message to King Hiram of Tyre: “Do business with me as you did with my father, King David, when you sold him cedar logs for building his palace.

[2:4] I am building a temple to honor the Lord my God. It will be a holy place where my people and I will worship him by burning incense of fragrant spices, where we will present offerings of sacred bread to him continuously, and where we will offer burnt offerings every morning and evening, as well as on Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other holy days honoring the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do this forever.

[2:5] I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god.

[2:6] Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God?

[2:7] Now send me a man with skill in engraving, in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in making blue, purple, and red cloth. He will work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem whom my father David selected.

[2:8] I know how skillful your lumbermen are, so send me cedar, cypress, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I am ready to send my men to assist yours

[2:9] in preparing large quantities of timber, because this temple I intend to build will be large and magnificent.

[2:10] As provisions for your lumbermen, I will send you 100,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”

[2:11] King Hiram sent Solomon a letter in reply. He wrote, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.

[2:12] Praise the Lord God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, full of understanding and skill, who now plans to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

[2:13] I am sending you a wise and skillful master metalworker named Huram.

[2:14] His mother was a member of the tribe of Dan and his father was a native of Tyre. He knows how to make things out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. He can work with blue, purple, and red cloth, and with linen. He can do all sorts of engraving and can follow any design suggested to him. Let him work with your skilled workers and with those who worked for your father, King David.

[2:15] So now send us the wheat, barley, wine, and olive oil that you promised.

[2:16] In the mountains of Lebanon we will cut down all the cedars you need, tie them together in rafts, and float them by sea as far as Joppa. From there you can take them to Jerusalem.”